Tacoma, Washington (Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Joint Base)

PCSing  to Tacoma, Washington (Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Joint Base)

When you get a PCS to Lewis-McChord Joint Base, you are in for a rich and exciting experience!

Living on-base has its own advantages, you have a well-managed community and you don’t need to worry about security of your family when you are away. Off-base life also has its own benefits to offer, with the best being the ability to adjust your lifestyle according to your preferences.

Lewis-McChord On-Base Housing

On-base housing on Lewis-McChord Joint base is managed and maintained by Equity Residential. Since 2002, Lewis-McChord communities have renovated almost 2200 existing homes and built over 800 new homes. The community is divided in to a number of neighborhoods and each has something different to offer its residents.

  • Schools Near Lewis-McChord

    • Faith Lutheran School
    • Puget Sound Christian School
    • Pierce County Catholic School
    • Saint Patrick Catholic School

    Although there are few schools on base, but there are a lot of off-base schools as well serving the Lewis-McChord community.

  • Gas And Electric Utilities

    All gas and electric utilities are included in your Basic Allowance for Housing. However, this might not be the case if you choose to live off-base. Living off-base, usually requires you to pay the rent and the bills separately. 

Off-Base Housing Near Lewis-McChord

There a lot of options to live off-base near to the Lewis-McChord Joint Base.

  • Steilacoom (8 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $160,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $445 for a 2 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Spanaway (12 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $169,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $600 for a 2 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Lacey (13 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $219,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $530 for a 1 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Olympia (16 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $189,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $590 for a 2 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Tacoma (14 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $149,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $590 for a 2 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Lakewood (6 miles from base)

    • Prices start at $229,000 for 3 bed, 2 bath residences
    • Rentals start at $525 for a 1 bed, 1 bath unit

  • Schools

    If you decide to live off-base you have access to a lot of schools. Some of them are:

    • Grant Elementary
    • Jefferson Elementary
    • Fern Hill Elementary
    • Franklin Elementary
    • Geiger Elementary
    • Jason Lee Middle School
    • Edison Elementary
    • Fawcett Elementary
    • Mason Middle School
    • Gray Middle School
    • Mt Tahoma High School
    • Meeker Middle School
    • Stewart Middle School
    • Truman Middle School
    • Lincoln High School
    • Larchmont Elementary
    • Lister Elementary
    • Oakland Altar High School
    • Stadium High School
    • Wilson High School

  • Local Attractions

    • Fort Steilacoom Park
    • Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
    • Millersylvania State Park
    • Mount Rainier National Park
    • Priest Point Park
    • American Lake Park
    • Rainier Vista Community Park
    • Wards Lake Park
    • Rainbow Falls State Park
    • Sea quest State Park

Before you decide between off-base and on-base, when you get a PCS, it is always advisable to take a leave and come down and visit with your family. This will give you a pre-insight of which option is better. If are more inclined to moving off-base, you’ll be able to collect valuable information on houses and apartments. This way you’ll be able to decide what the best deal you can get is. Best of luck!